How Much Does a One GB Flash Drive Hold?

A 1 GB flash drive holds twice the digital data of a CD-ROM.

PC users transfer digital data for personal and business purposes, and a USB flash drive is a device that can assist with this task. The 1 GB (gigabyte) flash drive offers a minimum storage capacity.

Definition

A 1 GB flash drive is a device that uses erasable and reprogrammable digital storage technology called flash memory storage. A flash drive typically interfaces, or connects, to a computer or other host device via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface.

Function

Flash drives offer similar storage capacities to a hard disk drive, and contain circuit elements that are housed on a printed circuit board. A flash drive is most commonly used to store and transport personal files such as videos, pictures and documents, and typically draws its power from the USB connection via a computer's USB port. This connection allows data transfer between the two devices.

Capacity

A 1 GB flash drive holds 1,024 megabytes (MB), or 1,048,576 bytes of data. A byte is equal to 8 bits, or singular units of digital data. A 1 GB flash drive holds about twice the amount of data as a CD-ROM, or about 250 songs.

References

• PCMag: Definition of: flash drive
• "Principles of Computer Hardware"; Alan Clements; 2006

Resources

• "How Computers Work"; Ron White & Timothy Edward Downs; 2007